[fixyourwritinghabits]

Plot A Month W4D6: Pre-Writing - Dealing With Writer's Block

It’s gonna happen. It happens to the best writers. Writer’s Block. As much as some writing books swear up and down that it doesn’t exist (apparently in their opinions, writers are just lazy?), it does. The people who tell you to just get over your writer’s block can go fuck themselves.

If you hit that wall, check out our Writer’s Block tag. It’s big, and possibly overwhelming. I don’t want you to spend all your time scrolling through it, so you could hit these posts in particular:

What About Writing: Getting Over Writer’s Block

What About Writing: Avoiding Writer’s Block

Terribleminds: 25 Ways to Defeat Writer’s Block

Killing the Suck(y Writer’s Block)

It’s hard hitting writer’s block, especially if you’re trying to do NaNoWriMo. Keep going! Give yourself breaks, watch a show or two, but keep going! You can do this thing!

[barefootonfirstsnow]

My favourite bookshop and the most beautiful I know 📖💛

[elkstudies]

where I am vs where I’d rather be: working on my final year thesis vs visiting Harvard in August. As much as I loved living in nyc I think if I was to live in the us again Boston would be my go to, all the buildings are so pretty 🌻🍂

[hannybstudies]

✎ 10.20.2019 // two days of writing papers. four meals. three iced coffees. one gallon of water. fifteen references. sixteen pages of content. one overwhelmed n tired graduate student.

[reverie-lavellan]

idk if anyone will find this useful, but this is how i go about planning my stories. i mostly write fantasy, so that’s what this is most applicable to. but it could work with other genres too.

so there’s three major components to a story: the characters, the plot, and the world. creating them individually is the easy part, but they all connect and affect each other in different ways. (like you can’t have a character who loves peaches and eats them every day if they live a peasant in a region that doesn’t grow peaches, for example.)

so i created a cheat sheet to help connect all three components together.

1) the world creates the characters.

this is related to the peach example above. the characters should be a direct result of the environment they grew up in and the environment they currently live in.

2) the characters are limited by the world.

also related to the peaches. characters can’t do anything outside of what the rules of their surroundings and universe allow, such as eating peaches when they’re not available. this also applies for magic users. they can’t have unlimited magic, so keep in mind what you want out of both the characters and the world when creating magic systems.

3) the characters carry the plot.

we’ve all heard it before: “bad characters can’t carry a good plot. good characters can carry a bad plot.” but we all like a good plot anyway. try to make sure you’re not giving your characters too heavy or too light of a plot to carry.

4) the plot pushes the characters.

if nothing in the plot happens, your characters will remain static forever. if you struggle with plots, try starting with what character development you want to happen, then go from there.

5) the plot depends on the world.

you can’t overthrow the evil government if there isn’t one. think of what your world needs most and what your plot is centered around, and fit those two together.

6) the world is changed by the plot.

even if your plot is centered around something most of your world would call “insignificant”, the world will still experience some change from the plot. either the evil government will be gone, or maybe that one teacher is now way more careful about keeping an eye on the test key. either way, the world will be different from now on.

final note: usually people will be able to write one or two of the components with ease, but don’t know where to go from there. i personally can’t write plots, but thinking this way has really helped me actually make a story out of the world and characters because i looked at what i needed from what i had. i really hope this can help you too! happy writing!

tl;dr this is a cheat sheet to help anyone who struggles with writing one or two of what i consider the three major components to a story.

[surroundedbypearls]

How does magic affect your world?

Magic is a huuuugge topic that’s too much for one post, so this one is just talking about how magic can affect your world and world-building in ways that I think we don’t really consider a lot of the time. When building a magic system, a lot of the time people focus so much on how the magic works, its limitations etc. that they don’t really consider how it would affect their world in different ways as much as they should. 

It’s all well and good that you’ve got a whole village of people who can run really fast, but how does that make their culture, history etc. different to everyone else’s? Because assuming it would be the same as the other villages who don’t have this ability is a bit lazy, and not really taking advantage of the creative possibilities.

The Avatar series does this really well, so that’s the case study for this post. (Some spoilers ahead)

The magic of the Avatar universe is called “bending”, so that’s what it’ll be called for this post. Bending is a central component of the Avatar’s world. There’s 4 main types, as listed in its very quotable title sequence:

Waterbending (plus blood bending)

Earthbending (plus metal bending and lava bending)

Firebending (plus lightning bending)

Airbending

The peoples of Avatar are broken up into these four nations, and are a mixture of benders and non-benders, like Katara (bender) and Sokka (non-bender) of the Water Tribe. Each of the nations have their own unique traditions, architecture, technologies etc. that wouldn’t exist without their own specific bending types (or magic types).

Let’s look at the Water Tribe first. It’s divided in two; the North and South poles. 

Despite being similar, even these two tribes are drastically different because of the effect bending has on Avatar’s world-building. Katara and Sokka grew up in the South; Katara is the last southern waterbender and has no master to teach her, unlike young benders in the North. The last southern waterbender before Katara was Hama, from her grandmother’s generation, and was taken when she was a young woman.

The Southern Tribe’s population has dwindled due to the 100 year war, and the lack of waterbenders has majorly affected them. The grown men are all gone to war (15-yr-old Sokka is the oldest one left), and without waterbending, they have no control over the local waters and have no real advancements to help them rebuild their village.

The Southern Tribe during Hama’s time (L) and Katara’s time ®, after the Fire Nation raiders have captured all the waterbenders.

Compare this to the North, which has many waterbenders and solid structures of ice that the benders specifically have built. Their benders are also trained in both combat and healing, which explains their greater strength as a military force, and why their population has held up so well against Fire Nation raids in comparison to the South. The number of benders, and how bending is used, have led to the North and South being affected very differently by the war.

The defensive wall of ice at the North Pole is raised and lowered by waterbenders.

This post is going to be long, so the other nations are discussed below the cut.

Keep reading

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Plot A Month, W0D3: Help, I have no ideas!

Maybe you want to write, but can’t seem to gather together enough ideas to create a story. Maybe you’ve only done fanfic, and you’re not sure how to find an original to start with. There’s lots of reasons why you might feel afraid to launch into an novel, especially if you don’t have a lot ideas to start with, but today we’re going to look at some ways to find those ideas.

Figure out your interests. What do you read the most? What genres do you enjoy? What type of stories really get you? Chances are, this is going to be what you’ll find most interesting to write about. If you like fantasy, go with fantasy, don’t force yourself to slog through something you won’t enjoy.

Look to yourself for inspiration. This is going to sound suspiciously like ‘write what you know,’ but chances are there are things you can use from your own experiences. Maybe you had an interesting dream that you’ve never been able to forget, or gotten lost. You can take your own experiences and ramp them up–that dream becomes a new horror story, that night you spent lost becomes a fight for survival. 

Try prompts. Still lost? Flip through writing prompts and grab what interests you. You don’t have to stick with just one; you might be able to combine several, finding an interesting character or a great twist.

Focus on characters. Character development is going to be our biggest focus on week one; there’s nothing wrong with fleshing out a character before you have a plot to slot them in. The more you work on a character, the more you can find things to use for plot.

Need writing prompts? Check out:

Writeworld

Yeah Write!

Writer Inspiration

Awesome Writing Prompts

Also check these links:

Novel Writing Ideas: How to Get Them

Finding an Idea for your Novel

How to Develop Story Ideas for Novels

Getting a Story Out of Nowhere

[ironinkpen]

When writing couples, I like to use the Kiss Rule:

If they have to kiss for you to know they’re in love, you’re not writing a romance right.

[demytasse]

I couldn’t agree more with this. As someone who has been married for 7 years (together for 9), kissing hardly proves anything of love, at least on its own. The starry-eyed lover type of intimacy is cute, but using it exclusively is like eating fondant off a cake. It’s sweet, looks polished and pretty, but lacks robust the flavour of combined elements — fillings, frosting, toppings, and the cake itself.

It’s gestures often overlooked, silent acts of respect without calling attention to them. Subtleties mixed with the obvious.

The good, bad, and the ugly.

playful banter, ribbing, insults/backhanded compliments

recognising ticks/tells and how to respond (e.g. specific throat clear before they speak)

tolerating inconsequential bad habits (e.g. puts dishes beside dishwasher, not in it)

listening to the same stories multiple times as if they were new

developing similar quirks (e.g. particular laugh)

inside jokes

mock fighting, mini competitions

blatant honesty, humble apologies, knowing when to drop an argument

saying nothing/talking for hours

tending to illness or injuries

pokes, pet/pats, head/shoulder bumps, bites, tickles, cuddling, long gazes, stroking hair

grooming, restraighten clothing, touch up hair, brush off crumbs

singing and dancing together

understanding your partner’s hurt rather than just apologising

trust and respect

knowing how to cheer the other up, how to piss them off, humour them

reassurance (e.g. I’m here to talk, you’re doing a great job, your insecurities don’t define you)

associating sights, smells, touches, songs, phrasing, etc with them (e.g. “I saw a pigeon today and thought ‘is this my partner?’”

hating dumb things they do, but finding them hard to live without and secretly loving them

compromising, sacrificing, reciprocation

Love is unspoken, tolerant, and a spectrum of emotions.

It’s accepting that you’ll fuckin’ hate their entire being at times, exclaim with vitriol, “god, you’re so fucking annoying” while you smile and know that it’s trivial in the grand scheme.

It’s real. It’s healthy. It’s fun. That’s what I try to encapsulate in my sappy romantic fiction because realistic fluff is so much more gratifying.

I hope this helps.

[ivyblossom]

[casey-jane-lewis]

Fanfic authors: READ THE WHOLE FUCKING PAGE

[cthonical]

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN AS A WRITER. I SAY THIS AS A READER AND A PROFESSIONAL GENRE EDITOR.

[eintsein]

Flexible Time Blocking: A More Breathable Way to Get Things Done

I’ve met a lot of people who struggle with sticking to a schedule - myself included - so here’s one way you can get things done without restricting your spontaneity.

Linked: The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently

Hope this helps!

[wilwheaton]

[clara-studies-deactivated202109]

19.05.19

sunday study session for my aristotle exam on friday at the maughan library!

[lesliestudies-deactivated202509]

05.08.19—School’s out, so I’m out. Bye SC, looking forward to a fresh batch of SCandals next year!!

[galina]

Early morning autumn light is my favourite of all lights

[breannacarroll-blog]

Publishing for Fun and Profit

So there was a list going around tumblr for a while that made it to my dash of literary journals that accept open submissions (and will pay!), but upon inspection about half of them were closed indefinitely, and I found quite a few other places that looked interesting through further research, so I wanted to post my own list. 

I tried to focus on things that paid professional grade (at least 6 cents per word), were friendly to speculative fiction, and specifically encouraged diversity and writing about marginalized groups.

(Please note that as of right now I have never submitted or been published with any of these, so if anyone has experience with them, good or bad, please feel free to message or reblog this with your experiences.)

Speculative Fiction

Strange Horizons — Speculative fiction (broadly defined) with an emphasis on diversity, unusual styles, and stories that address politics in nuanced ways. 8c per word. Up to 10,000 words, under 5,000 preferred. Responds within 40 days. LGBT+ positive.

Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine — Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. 7-12c per word. Up to 25,000 words. No response times listed.

Asimov’s Science Fiction — Primarily sci-fi but accepts fantasy and surreal fiction, but no high fantasy/sword and sorcery. Prefers writing that is character driven. 8-10c per word. 1,000-20,000 words. Responds in about five weeks.

Evil Girlfriend Media — Horror and urban fantasy centered on female empowerment and defying gender stereotypes. $100 flat payment. 4,000-7,000 words. No response times given. LGBT+ friendly.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies — Fantasy with a focus on secondary worlds and characters. 6c per word. Up to 10,000 words. Average response time 2-4 weeks.

Fantastic Stories — Speculative fiction with an emphasis on diversity and literary style. 15c per word. Up to 3,000 words. Responds within two weeks. LGBT+ positive.

Fiction Vortex — Serialized fantasy and speculative fiction. $300 for featured stories, $50 otherwise. 3,500 words or less. No response times given.

Shimmer — Speculative fiction with an emphasis on diversity, strong plots, vivid characters, and beautiful writing. 5c per word. 7,500 words or less (will consider longer words with query letter). Usually responds within two weeks. LGBT+ positive.

Clarkesworld Magazine — Sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. 10c per word up to 5,000 words, 8c per word after. 1,000-16,000 words. Responds within days usually, gives a tracking number.

Apex Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds. 6c per word, +1c per word for podcast stories. Up to 7,500 words, all submissions over will be auto-rejected. Responds within 30 days.

Heliotrope Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds. 10c per word. Up to 5,000 words. Responds within 30 days.

Lightspeed Magazine — Speculative fiction of all kinds, with creativity and originality in terms of style and format encouraged. 8c per word. 1,500-10,000 words, under 5,000 preferred. LGBT+ positive. Submissions temporarily closed for their main magazine but is accepting for their People of Color Destroy Science Fiction special.

General Fiction

The Sun Magazine — General fiction, likes personal writing or writing of a cultural/political significance. $300-$1500 flat payment  and a one year subscription to the magazine for fiction (also accepts essays and poetry). No minimum or maximum lengths but over 7,000 words discouraged. Responds in 3-6 months. Physical submissions only.

One Story — Any and all varieties of fiction, “unique and interesting” stories encouraged. $500 payment plus 25 contributor copies. 3,000-8,000 words. Usually responds in 2-3 months.

Camera Obscura — General fiction. $1000 for featured story, $50 for “Bridge the Gap” award, no payment for other contributors. 250-8,000 words. Response time vary, running just over two months as of now.

Flash Fiction 

Daily Science Fiction — Speculative flash fiction (including sci-fi, fantasy, slipstream, etc.). 8c per word. Up to 1,500 words, but shorter stories given priority. Response times not listed.

Vestral Review — General flash fiction. 3-10c per word depending on length to a max of $25. Up to 500 words. Response within four months.

Flash Fiction Online — General flash fiction. $60 flat payment. 500-1,000 words. Response times not listed.

Novels/Novella

Riptide Publishing — Any LGBTQ manuscripts between 15,000 and 150,000 words. Currently especially interested in lesbian romances, trans stories, asexual/aromantic stories, romances with a happy ending, and genre fiction such as urban fantasy. Also has a YA branch.  LGBT+ positive.

Crimson Romance — Romance stories of all kinds, currently seeking LGBT+ stories with a focus on emotional connections and relationships, especially m/m romance. Novel (55,000-90,000 words) or novella (20,000-50,000 words) length.  LGBT+ positive.

Kindle Direct Publishing 

Kindle Direct Publishing — Allows you to set your own prices, create your own cover art, and make royalties off of each sell. Any and all genres are welcome and if you’re prolific and smart about how you’re publishing you can make pretty good money.

General Guide to Kindle Publishing — Gives a good rundown of the publishing process on Kindle.

101 Guide to Kindle Erotica — Great guide with lots of resources about how to make money publishing erotica on Kindle.   

Publishing Comics/Graphic Novels

Here is a list of potential comic companies and what kind of open submissions they accept.  

Here is a list of literary agents who accept graphic novels. 

[kirstielol]

currently eating fruit, binge watching the good place on netflix, and doodling in my journal 🌸

[aeqo]

Here’s your mid-week reminder to forgive yourself if you’ve had a crappy/tired/unproductive day/week/month/year. You are doing the best you can. Look after yourself, do what you need to do. And it doesn’t matter what time of day/week/month/year it is, it’s never too late to make a fresh start.